野 草 

——夏衍 

   有這樣一個故事。 

   有人問：世界上什么東西的氣力最大(1)？回答紛紜的很，有的說“象”，有的說“獅”，有人開玩笑似的說：是“金剛”，金剛(2)有多少氣力，當然大家全不知道。 

   結果，這一切答案完全不對(3)，世界上氣力最大的，是植物的種子。一粒種子所可以顯現出來的力，簡直是超越一切，這兒又是一個故事。 

   人的頭蓋骨，結合得非常致密與堅固，生理學家和解剖學者用盡了一切的方法，要把它完整在分出來(4)，都沒有這種力氣，后來忽然有人發明了一個方法，就是把植物的種子放在要解剖的頭蓋骨里，給它以溫度與濕度，使它發芽(5)，一發芽，這些種子便以可怕的力量，將一切機械力所不能分開的骨骼，完整地分開了。植物種子力量之大，如此如此。 

   這，也許特殊了一點，常人不容易理解，那么， 你看見筍的成長嗎？你看見被壓在瓦礫和石塊下面的一顆小草的生成嗎？它為著向往陽光，為著達成它的生之意志(6)，不管上面的石塊如何重，石塊與石塊之間如何狹，它必定要曲曲折折地，但是頑強不屈在透到地面上來，它的根往土壤里鉆，它的芽往地面挺，這是一種不可抗拒的力，阻止它的石塊，結果也被它掀翻，一粒種子的力量的大，如此如此。 

   沒有一個人將小草叫做“大力士” (7)，但是它的力量之大，的確是世界無比，這種力，是一般人看不見的生命力，只要生命存在，這種力就要顯現，上面的石塊，絲毫不足以阻擋，因為它是一種“長期抗戰”的力，有彈性，能屈能伸的力，有韌性，不達目的不止的力(8)。 

種子不落在肥土而落在瓦礫中，有生命力的種子決不會悲觀和嘆氣，因為有阻力才有磨煉。生命開始的一瞬間就帶了斗爭來的草，才是堅韌的草，也只有這種草，才可以傲然地對那些玻璃棚中養育著的盆花哄笑。 

注釋： 

《野草》是夏衍（1900-1995）于抗戰期間寫的一篇散文，贊頌小草的那種為常人看不見的頑強生命力，以象征手法鼓舞國人堅定抗戰勝利的信心。 

(1)“世界上什么東西的氣力最大”譯為What has the greatest strength on earth，其中on earth和in the world同義，但此句用on earth較為合適，因它通常用于疑問詞或最高級詞后加強語氣。 

(2)“金剛”是“金剛力士”之略，指守護佛法的天神，常怒目作勇猛之相，現把它意譯為the fierce-browed guardian gods to Buddha，其中fierce-browed的意思是“怒目橫眉”。 

(3)“結果，這一切答案完全不對”譯為All the answers turned out to be wide of the mark，其中wide of the mark或far from the mark為成語，意即“離譜”、“不正確”。 

(4)“把它完整地分出來”即“把它完好無損地分開”，故譯為to take them apart without damaging them。 

(5)“使它發芽”的譯文為to cause them grow。也可譯為to cause them to put out fresh shoots。 

(6)“為著向往陽光，為著達成它的生之意志”實際上的意思是“為了爭取陽光和生存”，故譯為Seeking sunlight and survival即可。 

(7)“沒有一個人將小草叫做‘大力士’”譯為Though nobody describes the little grass as a “husky”，其中describe…as的意思是“把……說成”、“把……稱為”；husky的意思是“高大強壯的人”。 

(8)“有韌性，不達目的不止的力”譯為a force that is tenacity itself and will never give up until the goal is reached，其中itself一詞用來加強前面的抽象名詞tenacity，屬習慣用法。 

Wild Grass 

      ——Xia Yan 

    There is a story which goes like this: 

    Someone asked, “What has the greatest strength on earth?” The answers varied. Some said, “The elephant.” Some said, “The lion.” Some said jokingly, “The fierce-browed guardian gods to Buddha.” But nobody of course could tell how strong the guardian gods were supposed to be. 

All the answers turned out to be wide of the mark. The mightiest thing on earth is the seed of a plant. The great strength which a seed is capable of is simply matchless. Here goes another story: 

The bones forming a human skull are so tightly and perfectly fit together that all physiologists or anatomists, hard as they try, are powerless to take them apart without damaging them. It so happened that, at the suggestion of someone, some seeds of plant were placed inside a human skull awaiting dissection before heat and moisture were applied to cause them to grow. Once they started to grow, they let loose a terrific force to separate all the skull bones, leaving each of them intact. This would have been impossible with any mechanical power under the sun. See, how powerful the seeds of a plant can be! 

    This story may be somewhat too unusual for you to understand. Well, have you ever seen the growth of a bamboo shoot? Or the growth of tender grass from under a heap of rubble or rocks? Seeking sunlight and survival, the young plant will labour tenaciously through twists and turns to bring itself to the surface of the ground no matter how heavy the rocks overhead may be or how narrow the opening between them. While striking its roots deep into the soil, the young plant pushes its new shoots above-ground. The irresistible strength it can muster is such as to overturn any rock in its way. See, how powerful a seed can be! 

    Though nobody describes the little grass as a “husky”, yet its herculean strength is unrivalled. It is the force of life invisible to the naked eye. It will display itself so long as there is life. The rock is utterly helpless before this force—a force that will forever remain militant, a force that is resilient and can take temporary setbacks calmly, a force that is tenacity itself and will never give up until the goal is reached. 

    When a seed falls under debris instead of on fertile soil, it never sighs in despair because to meet with obstruction means to temper itself. Indomitable is the grass that begins its very life with a tough struggle. It is only fit and proper that the proud grass should be jeering at the potted flowers in a glass house.